| Directed by: | Diane Keaton |
| Written by: | Delia Ephron |
| Starring: | Meg Ryan, Diane Keaton, Lisa Kudrow, Walter Matthau, Adam Arkin |
| Released: | March 16, 2000 |
| Grade: | C+ |
Quite frankly, the script for this female “bonding” movie is a joke. Eve (Ryan) is the central character and has a career as a party planner. Her life is all hustle and bustle further complicated by her father (Matthau) being admitted to hospital after showing signs of senility. Her sister Georgia (Keaton), has run her own magazine for 5 years and her other sister, Maddy (Kudrow), works as a soap star actress. Over the past years, they have drifted apart and Eve seems to be the one left to care for the dying father.
From first time director Diane Keaton, Hanging Up isn’t worth answering. The opening is just a tiresome, annoying sequence of phone calls and the stars are nothing more than overplayed rich bitches. These people are not real in any shape or form. As the film draws to its obvious conclusions, tears are shed as the girls reunite and they all live happily ever after.
Walter Matthau is the standout and provides the film’s best moments. Meg Ryan is reasonable but Keaton and Kudrow are just wasted in their “plastic” roles. Keaton’s direction isn’t much to be jumping about either - it’s pretty standard.
Following in the tradition of The First Wives Club, this movie is only going to appeal to women and there is absolutely no material here to maintain the interest of the opposite gender. It’s a tiresome set up because you know where it’s all going and whilst the ending does have some touching moments, you’re just too tired to care anymore.
With an array of strange and useless side characters, this film is poor at best. Don’t ask me what the point to all the phone calls was because I just didn’t get it. I guess you can say I was “disconnected”.